


it's too dark...

by augustrunaway



Category: IT, IT (2019), IT - Stephen King, IT Chapter 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-08
Updated: 2019-10-08
Packaged: 2020-11-27 07:11:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20944379
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/augustrunaway/pseuds/augustrunaway
Summary: “It’s dark down here…”Eddie’s attention was caught by a small voice coming from a dark corner. He tilted his head to get a better listen and walked closer. A little boy, no older than 9 walked cautiously towards him, rubbing his eyes glistening with tears.





	it's too dark...

**Author's Note:**

> short prompt/idea I saw floating around on tumblr and this scene couldn't get out of my head, cue listening to "Zombie" by the cranberries on repeat and you get this ;_;

Eddie looked down at the jacket in his hands, holding on to the last bit of Richie he had left. His smell, his warmth, _him_. How he wished he could have said more, given Richie more, but he knew it was all too late, all bad timing, in the wrong place at the wrong time. Maybe another time, in another lifetime where they'd surely meet again with nothing holding the other back.

He could feel none of it anymore, like all the pain that had been weighing him down was suddenly gone as he stood there in the middle of, well, he was in the middle of something, it was all in shambles, dirt, rocks, nothing but debris and broken pieces left behind. Nothing but dust and the stale smell of wetness and earthy musk swelled through the air.

_ “It’s dark down here…” _

Eddie’s attention was caught by a small voice coming from a dark corner. He tilted his head to get a better listen and walked closer. A little boy no older than 9 walked cautiously towards him, rubbing his eyes that were glistening with tears. He was wearing a yellow raincoat, green rain boots and-

“Georgie?” 

“I’m looking for my brother, his name is Billy, do you know where he his is?” Georgie looked up at the adult, his eyes pleading for help, his cheeks tear-streaked. He sniffled and Eddie lowered himself on a knee, eye level to Georgie, setting Richie’s jacket aside. He looked at him, eyes unblinking.

Georgie watched him, recalling a fast-talking kid among Bill’s group of friends, him and two other kids that made up Bill's small group of friends. Said kid always carried around a fanny-pack, took pills and when Georgie would ask he would play legos with him, always making Georgie laugh when he was being loud about color-coordination.

“Hi Georgie.” Eddie whispered and gave a teary smile. He set one cautious hand on Georgie's small shoulder and the child's eyes pleaded. He pulled Georgie in for a much needed hug. Georgie sniffled and seemed to relax some, his tears slowly drying away. He was being held and it was what he’d wanted for a long time. It felt like his mother’s arms wrapped tightly around him, warm and loving, like when he’d had a nightmare one night, so he held onto Eddie tighter, willing the nightmare he was living to go away.

“I miss my mom. I miss my dad. I miss Billy. Do you know him?” Georgie mumbled into his shoulder. Eddie stayed kneeling and Georgie pulled back so he could look at him. Eddie put both hands on his small shoulders, keeping him steady but especially to get a good look at him, to ensure that he was here and he was as safe as it was going to get.

“I do. I’m a friend of his.” Georgie smiled bright at that. Any friend of his brother’s was sure a friend of his.

“Really?” Eddie nodded his head in reassurement. He picked up Richie’s jacket, wrapped an arm around Georgie and lifted themselves up, carrying him with one arm since he was so small, he didn’t want him bumping into anything in the dark.

“I have friends too. They’re over there!” Georgie giddily exclaimed in Eddie’s ear and pointed to a dark part of the sewer that they were in. Eddie walked closer to where he indicated and through the darkness he saw light emerge, three hidden figures stepped out with the same lost stare that Georgie had about his eyes. A girl with curly hair, a white shirt and red shorts that reminded Eddie of the one's he wore as a kid. The other two were no older than Georgie.

The young girl walked in front of the other’s and Eddie recognized her. She had a sorrow-filled look in her eyes and Eddie placed a hand on her shoulder for comfort. She started to sniffle and fell into his arms for a hug. It was Betty Ripsom. He patted her head with his free arm, she was freezing. He placed Richie’s jacket around her shoulders. The other kids, a boy and a girl, huddled close around them, though they stayed quiet, still too scared to make any noise.

Eddie counted heads as they gathered, making sure they were all there next to him in the dark. It hurt Eddie to see them all so young, that only _some_ of Pennywise’s victims were here, all the children taken too soon. Betty grabbed his hand and she linked hands with the little boy and the little girl linked hands with him.

Eddie turned to them, “Keep each other close, okay? We'll do much better in a group.” There was a collective reassurance from three small voices, but he could already feel how much lighter the air around them felt. Good, this was good, this was a start.

Georgie turned to Eddie, his arms wrapped tightly around his shoulder. He studied his face in the way a child does, examining his frown lines and counting his wrinkles.

“What can I call you?” Eddie thought about it and smiled at his question. They continued walking through the rubble, water dripped steadily around them, some phantom wind hummed through the pipes. They could hear more far off sounds, more footsteps of kids left here in the sewers, hoping to get out some way, somehow. Eddie would do just that, help them find their way out, one by one to walk them home.

“My name’s Eddie but you can call me Eds. Your brother and his friends did.” A new hope flooded his chest, a sort of light glowed within him and the sewers didn’t seem so dark anymore.


End file.
